Malicious Code Injection in kentung-35 Package: A Threat to npm Ecosystem
Summary
MAL-2025-157516: Malicious code in kentung-35 (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The kentung-35 package is part of the npm ecosystem and is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises the integrity of the npm registry.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the kentung-35 package originates from its malicious payload, which modifies the package.json file by removing private flags and altering version numbers. It generates random package names, often themed around Indonesian culture, and continuously republishes these variants to pollute the npm registry. This behavior can lead to significant ramifications, including the compromise of developer accounts and the proliferation of untrustworthy packages within the ecosystem.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall kentung-35If it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can prevent the installation of the kentung-35 package by using npm's package-lock.json file to lock your dependencies. Ensure that you do not include this package in your project dependencies.
Conclusion
The kentung-35 package poses a significant threat to the npm ecosystem due to its malicious code that modifies package configurations and publishes untrustworthy variants. It is crucial to remove this package and monitor your dependencies for vulnerabilities to maintain the integrity of your projects.
See every vulnerability recorded for kentung-35 →
FAQ
The kentung-35 package is an npm package associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, designed to automate the generation of derivative packages.
The malicious code modifies your package.json file, removes private flags, and can lead to the publication of untrustworthy packages, compromising your project's integrity.
You should immediately remove the kentung-35 package from your project and monitor for any updates or patches that may address this vulnerability.
You can use tools like Vulert, which monitors and alerts you in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities in your software using just the package-lock.json file.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
